lineman

Lineman is a good gig if you can hack it. It is tough work and can have tough hours and working conditions.

I was once buying a pair of Red Wings at the Raleigh company store. A hurricane had just hit down in the Gulf and CP&L sent crews down to help. One of their foremen showed up at the store and literally cleaned them out of one particular model of safety boot. Hundreds of pairs. The salesman just told him to bring back what they didn’t use and they would settle up on the final invoice then. Salesman then told me that each lineman will go through two or more pairs of those boots every week or two when doing storm recovery. That’s saying something about their working conditions when talking about top of the line Red Wings that last normal people years.
 
I have always had the highest respect for linemen, working with "stuff" that will kill your butt in a New York heartbeat regardless of the weather conditions, without regard for their personal safety and usually smiling while they do it. They gladly get my power back on so my soft ass can have AC while they sweat their nuts off doing it. Their a hero in my book......
 
cubrock said:
Lineman is a good gig if you can hack it. It is tough work and can have tough hours and working conditions.

I was once buying a pair of Red Wings at the Raleigh company store. A hurricane had just hit down in the Gulf and CP&L sent crews down to help. One of their foremen showed up at the store and literally cleaned them out of one particular model of safety boot. Hundreds of pairs. The salesman just told him to bring back what they didn’t use and they would settle up on the final invoice then. Salesman then told me that each lineman will go through two or more pairs of those boots every week or two when doing storm recovery. That’s saying something about their working conditions when talking about top of the line Red Wings that last normal people years.
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Lol. Not even close. Redwing is THE lineman boot, but they last. When Fran came through I was a lineman for Pike. We did work 20 on, 8 off for almost 3 weeks straight. I wore the same boots the whole time. They did cater every meal in the field and we got steak and eggs for breakfast every morning on our way out every morning. Even put up in hotels as local crews, though we mostly slept in the trucks and just hit the hotel for a shower and clean gear every other day or so.

I will say it is tough work. When I blew out my knee for the second time and couldn't climb anymore I got out of it. Wasn't interested in ditch work for a career.
 
I interviewed many years ago for a position as a corporate recruiter for (then) Carolina Power and Light to recruit linemen. They were stymied and struggling to compete for people when so many people preferred to get production jobs in air conditioned pharmaceutical plants around eastern NC.
 
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bigfelipe said:
Lol. Not even close. Redwing is THE lineman boot, but they last. When Fran came through I was a lineman for Pike. We did work 20 on, 8 off for almost 3 weeks straight. I wore the same boots the whole time. They did cater every meal in the field and we got steak and eggs for breakfast every morning on our way out every morning. Even put up in hotels as local crews, though we mostly slept in the trucks and just hit the hotel for a shower and clean gear every other day or so.

I will say it is tough work. When I blew out my knee for the second time and couldn't climb anymore I got out of it. Wasn't interested in ditch work for a career.
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He sure left with a lot of Red Wings that day. I didn’t get the pair I wanted because it was the style the CP&L guy was buying. He took every pair of those in the store.

Edited to add - this must have been for Katrina response. Not that that matters, just was trying to remember which storm it was.
 
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I have a friend who did it for less than one year. Electrical shock blew his arm off. Scotty was never the same physically or mentally. Went from never taking a sip of alcohol to an addict trying to kill himself. Very dangerous job. Especially during nature’s nightmares.
 
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cubrock said:
He sure left with a lot of Red Wings that day. I didn’t get the pair I wanted because it was the style the CP&L guy was buying. He took every pair of those in the store.

Edited to add - this must have been for Katrina response. Not that that matters, just was trying to remember which storm it was.
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I don't doubt it. They used to throw cash and gear at their guys, especially during storm trouble. If I had got on with CP&L instead of Clayton Public Power I might have stuck with it longer than I did. Katrina was Progress Energy at that point. I worked Fran, Floyd, Bertha, and a handful of smaller storms under CP&L, Duke, and Clayton Public Power. Storm work sucked but the money was stupid...
 
BlackGun said:
I have a friend who did it for less than one year. Electrical shock blew his arm off. Scotty was never the same physically or mentally. Went from never taking a sip of alcohol to an addict trying to kill himself. Very dangerous job. Especially during nature’s nightmares.
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I saw two deaths in the few years I worked in the field. I was lit up by static from a primary line that knocked me unconscious once and trashed my knees and back... I guess it could have been worse...
 
bigfelipe said:
I saw two deaths in the few years I worked in the field. I was lit up by static from a primary line that knocked me unconscious once and trashed my knees and back... I guess it could have been worse...
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So this latent energy is what probably grenaded your Glock at the night match two years ago.
You're like one giant capacitor.
 
I've got an uncle that started as a lineman 30 years ago. He then moved to other things doing work that an engineer would normally do and eventually designed the big power center grid outside of Pittsburgh. You know it's something to be said about folks doing training on the job for said job. He retired two years ago and went back as a contractor making 100k+ running a crew of inspectors and repair lineman. Funny part is they would send the engineer designs to him to check their work before anything would be built. He is one of the people I most respect in life.
 
I've watched them work with downed poles, trees and lines during the storms we have around here.

Different breed, they are...they clang when they walk.
 
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I worked in Winston-Salem all this week changing out roof, sidewalk, and landscape lighting.

We verified the breaker was off on almost every box we opened. Except one- the one that sent juice thru me. A lot is to be said about checking diligently even when the first 22 boxes are ok. That one circuit was not labeled correctly and looked like the conduit run was the same. Never assume anything.
 
BlackGun said:
I worked in Winston-Salem all this week changing out roof, sidewalk, and landscape lighting.

We verified the breaker was off on almost every box we opened. Except one- the one that sent juice thru me. A lot is to be said about checking diligently even when the first 22 boxes are ok. That one circuit was not labeled correctly and looked like the conduit run was the same. Never assume anything.
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These little things are so cheap these days it might pay to keep one in your shirt pocket to test for power where it shouldn't be.

https://www.amazon.com/Voltage-Prot...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=STHHMCJAAEVZKRP4Z9FY



41QCapEqXGL.jpg
 
I have nothing but Big Respect for these folks. We were blessed for 10 years with the company of the Senior Lineman for Santee-Cooper Electric. My number one guy. When he was forced into retirement we never saw him again. He was that job. Without it he was lost. 30 years on a job like that with all the tragedies you live have got to be tough.
 
The linemen guys are pretty cool. I have to work hand & hand with them on almost every big project.
I remember talking with one old timer. Been doing line work 20 years, decided he wanted to be an electrician. So he applies to take the licensing exam, only to find out that those 20 years don't mean crap and he still needs the 8000 hours (4 years) in the field..as an electrician..before he becomes eligible. I told him don't be depressed, the exam is designed to make you fail anyways.
 
I’d be a lineman if it wasn’t for the electricity, I’ll just stick with sheet rock. :(
 
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